Garment bag assembly

ABSTRACT

A framed garment bag with flexible walls having exterior suspension means at the top thereof and a jointed clamp disposed in a substantially vertical plane on the interior thereof. The upper jaw of the clamp which is fixed to the underside of the top and the lower jaw which is pivoted to the rear end of the former are fitted with contiguous edges of yieldable material which effect a tight retention of the hooks of the garment hangers disposed therebetween when the jaws are clamped together in a plane parallel to the top of the frame of the bag. When the jointed clamp is open for loading or unloading the garment hangers, the controlled limited downward inclination of the lower jaw provides a convenient frictional guide for the hangers preparatory to their lifting into juxtaposition to the fixed upper jaw by the movement of a clasp of high mechanical efficiency, which movement terminates in a secure clamping between the jaws. The tight clamping of the garment hanger hooks between the contiguous edges of the yieldable material eliminates all possibilities of disengagement of the latter from the clamp under all conditions of rough handling of the garment bag in transit.

This invention relates to a garment bag assembly and particularly onecapable of accommodating one or several garment hangers supportingdifferent items of clothing which are adapted to be housed in theirentirety within the garment bag.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved garmentbag assembly which incorporates therein an improved garment hanger clampof the type covered by U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,456, issued to one of thecoinventors herein, namely, Wallace London, on Mar. 2, 1971. The specialmounting of the jointed clamp in the garment bag makes possible theconvenient and rapid loading and unloading of the garments into and fromthe garment bag and the suspension of the garments on hangers with noprotrusion of any parts of the latter from the garment bag, as was thecase in the earlier patented construction.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a secure clamp forthe hooks of the wire hangers so that they cannot be dislodgedtherefrom, no matter how roughly the garment bag may be handled intransport.

It is another object of the invention to provide a rugged and reliableassembly which may be incorporated within garment bags in the course oftheir manufacture, or which may be applied to finished garment bags.

Other objects and purposes will appear from the detailed description ofthe invention following hereinafter, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective external view of the improved garment bag inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a left end view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a right end view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view along line 5--5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the right portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view along line 7--7 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the lower portion of FIG. 4 with certainparts in section.

FIG. 1 of the drawings shows a garment bag B formed of flexible wallsprovided with means on the top thereof for suspending the bag whileloading and unloading the same with garments of long or short lengths,which are designed to be housed therein, and which are adapted to becarried either in an extended condition as shown in FIG. 1, or which maybe folded for more convenient transport.

Such bags have come into extensive use in recent years and may beprovided with slide fastener closures, multiple pockets for storage ofitems complementary to the garments housed in the bag, latching andstrapping devices, handles at one or both ends of the bags, etc., noneof which features are germane to the instant invention. Such garmentbags are fully disclosed in the following patents and are illustrativeof a voluminous amount of art in this highly developed field:

U.S. Pat. No. 2,606,636 Aug. 12, 1952

U.S. Pat. No. 2,671,706 Mar. 9, 1954

U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,631 Sept. 21, 1954

U.S. Pat. No. 2,862,586 Dec. 2, 1958

U.S. Pat. No. 3,221,848 Dec. 7, 1965

U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,675 May 25, 1976

The garment bags shown in the above-noted patents disclose differentconfining arrangements for the hooks of the garment hangers of varyingdesigns and complexity, none of which has proven totally capable ofpreventing at least some of the hangers from working loose from theirconfinement and ultimately dropping into the bag with the consequentwrinkling and crushing of the clothing. The instant invention eliminatesthis problem with certainty.

As shown in FIG. 1, the garment bag in accordance with the presentinvention may be fabricated from any suitable waterproof andwear-resistant material of fabric, leather or plastic sheeting, orcombinations thereof. The bag is comprised of a flexible front wall 1,rear wall 2, lateral walls 3 and 4, and top and bottom walls 5 and 6,respectively. The bag may be shaped by an inner frame member 20 whichextends across the top 5 and, if desired, partially along the upperportions of the lateral walls 3 and 4. The frame 20 may be formed of anyrigid material such as plywood, metal, plastic or combinations thereof,and the flexible covering of the top wall and upper portions of thesides may be integrated to the frame 20 by gluing, riveting, or othermodes of joining.

A slide fastener 7 may be provided at the center of the front wall whichextends to the top to subdivide the front wall into two parts to permitready access to the interior of the bag. The opening at the top of thefront wall may be covered by a flexible flap 8, extending from the frontedge at the top 5.

As an alternative to the single central slide fastener 7 shown in FIG.1, multiple slide fasteners or a slide fastener extending in multipledirections, may be provided as shown in the patents enumerated above.

In FIG. 1 is shown a handle 10 for transporting the bag, the ends ofwhich may be looped at 11 and confined within retainers which areriveted to the frame member 20 and to wall 5, as well as to any interiorlining 23 below the frame member. The integration of these components isalso supplemented by the mounting of a central escutcheon plate 15 whichis fastened to the center of the top wall 5 by means of rivets 18 whichlikewise extend through the outer fabric on top wall 5, frame member 20and the internal lining 23 on the latter. The rivets 18 also extendthrough the top wall of the bracket 30 which supports the upper fixedjaw of the jointed clamp, as described fully hereinafter.

The plate 15 seats a movable spherically-shaped member 16 provided withrecesses 17 in which may be inserted a detachable handle member forsuspending the garment bag from a wall hook, closet door, or the like,in the course of loading or unloading the garment bag. The hook 25 isconnected to one end of a chain 21, the other end of which is fittedwith a spring hook 22 adapted to detachably engage the openings 17 ofthe member 16. This hook support is readily detachable from the bag fortransport, all as well known in the art, and as disclosed in theabove-mentioned patents.

The bracket support 30 for the improved clothes hanger clamp is affixedto the inner surface of the frame member 20 centrally of the garmentbag. As stated above, this may be done by riveting, such as by rivets18. The top wall 31 of the bracket support 30 is provided with lateralflanges 32 and 33, which are adapted to embrace the upper channel 40 ofthe jointed clamps and may be connected therewith in different ways atseveral points. Thus, tabs 36 may extend from the opposite ends of topwall 31 and are bent inwardly into contact with the end wall of theupper channel 40. The tab at the rear end of the wall engages theundersurface of the channel to act as a retainer therefor while the tab36 at the front rests on the channel and provides a spacer for the headsof the rivets 18, as shown in FIG. 2.

The jointed clamp disclosed in earlier U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,456 has beenimproved in many respects to render it capable of withstanding theheavier loads imposed upon it by virtue of its support by the bracket 30within the garment bag in a substantially vertical plane. The jointedclamp serves not only as a clamp for the hook portions of the garmenthanger, but also serves to support the garments, whereas in the patentedarrangement the latter were supported externally on a rod, hook, or thelike.

The jointed clamp shown in the drawings is comprised of upper and lowerchannels 40 and 50, respectively, which are pivotally joined at one endby means of rivet 65, which extends beyond the external wall of thechannels. A sleeve 66 surrounds the rivets between the internal walls ofthe channels to reenforce the pivotal joint.

The upper channel 40 is fixed in substantially horizontal position bythe surrounding bracket 30, and is clamped thereto by tab 36 engagingthe rear end of the channel. This retention may be supplemented by oneor more prongs 68 stamped from the outer lateral wall of channel 40 forpassage through one or more slots 69 in lateral wall 33 of bracket 30and bent into contact with the latter, as shown in FIG. 6.

The lateral flange 33 of the bracket support 30 extends along thelateral wall of the upper clamp and is provided with downwardlyextending member 34 which is bent transversely at its lower end to forma stop 35 below the bottom of the lower channel. The stop 35 may becontinued and bent upwardly into a flange 37, which together withelements 34 and 35, forms a J-shaped guide for the lower channel 50 asit moves from its horizontal clamping position as shown in full lines inFIG. 2 to its open position, as shown in dotted lines, at an inclinationof approximately 15° which serves as a convenient guide for thesuccessive garment hangers as they are presented into or withdrawn fromthe garment bag. The downwardly projecting stop member 34-35-37 ispreferably extended from the rear portion of flange 33, but thispositioning may be modified so long as the stop 35 does not interferewith the clasp assembly C at the forward part of the jointed clamp.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 8, the basic elements of the improved clamp inaccordance with the instant invention are similar to those disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 3,566,456, but which have been improved in the severalrespects described below.

As stated above, the jointed clamp is composed of an upper fixed channel40 and a movable lower channel 50 pivotally connected to each other atthe rear ends thereof by the hinge pin 65 which is reenforced by thesurrounding sleeve 66. The upper channel 40 is provided with an end wall41 and lateral walls 42 and 43 extending therefrom which form an openface 44 opposite end wall 41. The complemental lower channel 50 isdisposed congruously to the upper channel 40 and consists of the endwall 51 and opposed lateral walls 52 and 53 to present an open face at54. The blocks 45 and 55, of resilient or yieldable material such asrubber, are seated in each of the respective channels for most of theirlength, and portions thereof protrude beyond the open faces of thechannels. The walls 42 and 52 of the channels are provided withtransverse slots 46 and 56, respectively, adjacent the ends of theblocks to facilitate the turning of the terminal edges of the lateralwalls to bite into the surfaces of blocks 45 and 55 along the openfaces, without distorting the alignment between the components of theclamp.

Also, the edges of the lateral walls at the transverse slots 56 and 46may be turned down to retain securely the blocks 45 and 55 within therespective channels. The retention of the resilient blocks within thechannels is reenforced by indentations or dimples 60 in one or bothlateral walls of each channel which become embedded in the lateralsurfaces of the resilient blocks.

The clasp C may be constituted by lateral wings 77 and 78 embracing thefree end of channel 50. The wings are pivotally mounted on the channelby means of a pintle 73 to permit the rotation of the clasp by means ofthe handle 78 interconnecting the wings wherefrom extends the fingerpiece 79.

A wire retaining hook 64, closed at one end 65 and provided with lateralarms 76 at the opposite end, is seated within aligned openings in thewings 77 and 78 at the bail of the clasp C. Upon swinging the loop 64into engagement with a retaining protuberance 86 adjacent the forwardedge of the end wall of channel 40, the clasp may be closed andtightened with great force by virtue of the eccentric mounting of theclasp on pintle 73 and the high mechanical efficiency attainedtherefrom. The open position of the clasp is shown in dotted lines inFIG. 2, which upon rotation in a clockwise direction, serves to tightlyclamp together the channels 50 and 40, to compress and retain the wirehook portions H of any hangers which may be interposed between theprotruding portions of the resilient blocks 55 and 45.

The stresses imposed upon the wire loop 64 when it embraces a largenumber of garment hangers, cause spreading of the arms 76 and theoccasional withdrawal of the transverse ends thereof from the openingsin the wings of the bail. This tendency is prevented by flattening thefree ends 80 of the arms following their insertion into the alignedopenings of the bail.

The reenforcement of the jointed clamp at the pivotal joint of thechannels, at the retaining hook of the locking clasp, and at theretention means for the yieldable blocks which compress the garmenthangers together, produces a clamp assembly which withstands effectivelythe heavy loads imposed thereon in the adaptation thereof in a garmentbag assembly as disclosed herein.

We claim:
 1. In a frame type garment bag assembly having means on theoutside of the top thereof for suspending the bag while loading thereinor unloading therefrom a plurality of garments on supports therefor,each comprising a vertical wire shank extending upwardly from the centerof the support and terminating in a downwardly extending curved hookportion, and means for securely locking a plurality of the garmentsupports entirely within the bag, the improvement comprising(a) ajointed clamp disposed in a generally vertical plane and formed of upperand lower congruous channels pivotally mounted to each other at the rearends thereof, with the open edge of each channel facing the other, (b) ahorizontally disposed hinge pin at said rear ends extending beyond theexternal surfaces of said channels, (c) a reenforcing sleeve surroundingsaid hinge pin between the internal surfaces of said channels, (d) astrip of resilient material seated within each channel and protrudingbeyond the open edge thereof, (e) a latching device of high mechanicalefficiency at the front end of said jointed clamp for alternatelypermitting the spreading of said channels or the clamping thereoftogether, for embracing the hook portions of the garment supports tomaintain them in fixed position, (f) a bracket support for said clamphaving an upper member affixed to the inside of the top of the garmentbag with means for attaching thereto said upper channel in fixedsubstantially horizontal position, and (g) a lower member in saidbracket support extending downwardly from said upper member to provide alimit stop for the pivotal movement of the lower channel in the openposition of said jointed clamp, to provide an inclined support for thehook portions of the garment supports in the course of loading andunloading the latter into and from the garment bag.
 2. A device as setforth in claim 1, wherein said last-mentioned lower member of saidbracket support is an integral extension of said upper member and iscomprised of a vertical plate adjacent the external surfaces of one sideof said channels and a lateral stop extending transversely from thelower end of said plate below the rear end of the lower channel andslightly displaced therefrom.
 3. A device as set forth in claim 1,wherein said last-mentioned lower member of said bracket support is anintegral extension of said upper member and is of J-shapedcross-section, with the lower end thereof spaced slightly from the lowerchannel to limit the permissible pivotal movement of the latter toapproximately 15°.
 4. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein saidlatching device comprises a bail having one end thereof rotatablymounted on said lower channel at the free end thereof remote from itspivotal connection to the upper channel and a manipulative finger-holdon the opposite end of said bail, stop means adjacent to the top of thefree end of said upper channel, and a continuous loop of wire having theopposite aligned free ends thereof pivotally mounted withineccentrically disposed aligned openings at an intermediate portion ofsaid bail with the terminal portion of said ends being flattened toprevent the withdrawal of said ends from said aligned openings, and theopposite closed end of said loop adapted for selective engagement withsaid stop means.
 5. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein at leastone lateral wall of each channel is provided with transverse slotsadjacent to the opposite ends of the channel and extending to the openedge thereof to facilitate the distortion of said edge into tighterengagement with the strip of resilient material embraced thereby, and anadditional indentation in said lateral wall for impaling said strip andreenforcing the retention of said resilient material within therespective channel.
 6. A clamp for the upper wire portion of a garmentsupport, comprising(a) a pair of congruous sheet metal channelspivotally mounted to each other at one end thereof with the open edge ofeach channel facing the other, (b) a hinge pin extending through thewalls of said channels at said one end, (c) a sleeve surrounding saidhinge pin to reenforce the pivotal joint of said channels, (d) a stripof resilient material seated within each channel and protruding beyondthe open edge thereof, (e) an indentation in a lateral wall of eachchannel for impaling and securely anchoring said strip therein, and (f)a latching device of high mechanical efficiency on the opposite freeends of said channels for alternately permitting the spreading of saidchannels or the clamping thereof together, for embracing the wireportions of the spaced garment supports and to maintain them in fixedposition, said latching device comprising a bail having one end thereofrotatably mounted on one of said channels at the free end thereof remotefrom its pivotal connection to the second channel and a manipulativefingerhold on the opposite end of said bail, stop means adjacent to thefree end of the end wall of said second channel, and a continuous loopof wire having the opposite aligned free ends thereof pivotally mountedwithin eccentrically disposed aligned openings at an intermediateportion of said bail with the terminal portion of said ends beingflattened to prevent the withdrawal of said ends from said alignedopenings and the opposite closed end of said loop adapted for selectiveengagement with said stop means. .Iadd.
 7. A clamp for the upper wireportion of a garment support, comprising(a) a pair of substantiallycongruous sheet metal channels pivotally mounted to each other at oneend thereof with the open edge of each channel facing the other, (b) ahinge pin extending through the walls of said channels at said one end,(c) a sleeve surrounding said hinge pin to reenforce the pivotal jointof said channels, (d) a strip of resilient material seated within eachchannel and protruding beyond the open edge thereof, and (e) a latchingdevice of high mechanical efficiency on the opposite free ends of saidchannels for alternately permitting the spreading of said channels orthe clamping thereof together, for embracing the wire portions of thespaced garment supports and to maintain them in fixed position, saidlatching device comprising a bail having one end thereof rotatablymounted on one of said channels at the free end thereof remote from itspivotal connection to the second channel and a manipulative finger-holdon the opposite end of said bail, stop means adjacent to the free end ofthe end wall of said second channel, and a continuous loop of wirehaving the opposite aligned free ends thereof pivotally mounted withineccentrically disposed aligned openings at an intermediate portion ofsaid bail with the terminal portion of said ends being flattened toprevent the withdrawal of said ends from said aligned openings and theopposite closed end of said loop adapted for selective engagement withsaid stop means. .Iaddend. .Iadd.
 8. A device as set forth in claim 7,including an indentation in a lateral wall of each channel for impalingand securely anchoring said strip therein. .Iaddend. .Iadd.
 9. In aframe type garment bag assembly having means on the outside of the topthereof for suspending the bag while loading therein or unloadingtherefrom a plurality of garments on supports therefor, each comprisinga vertical wire shank extending upwardly from the center of the supportand terminating in a downwardly extending curved hook portion, and meansfor securely locking a plurality of the garment supports entirely withinthe bag, the improvement comprising(a) a jointed clamp disposed in agenerally vertical plane and having an upper channel fixed to the top ofthe garment bag and a lower channel pivotally mounted to said upperchannel at one end thereof, with the open edge of each channel facingthe other, (b) a horizontally disposed hinge pin at said end extendingbeyond the external surfaces of said channels, (c) a reenforcing sleevesurrounding said hinge pin between the internal surfaces of saidchannels, (d) a strip of resilient material seated within each channeland protruding beyond the open edge thereof, (e) a latching device ofhigh mechanical efficiency at the opposite end of said jointed clamp foralternately permitting the spreading of said channels or the clampingthereof together, for embracing the hook portions of the garmentsupports to maintain them in fixed position, and (f) means extendingbetween said last-mentioned upper channel and said lower channel forlimiting the pivotal movement of the latter in the open position of saidjointed clamp, to provide an inclined support for the hook portions ofthe garment supports in the course of loading and unloading the latterinto and from the garment bag. .Iaddend. .Iadd.
 10. A device as setforth in claim 9, wherein said last-mentioned means comprises a memberextending from said upper channel at said first-mentioned end andunderlying the lower channel at a slight displacement therefrom adjacentto said hinge pin, the underlying portion of said member therebyproviding a stop for the downward movement of said lower channel in theopen position of said jointed clamp to a limited extent. .Iaddend..Iadd.11. A device as set forth in claim 10, wherein said memberembraces said channels at said first-mentioned end for at least themajor periphery thereof. .Iaddend. .Iadd.12. A device as set forth inclaim 11, wherein the top of said member is affixed to the exterior ofthe top wall of said upper channel above said hinge pin. .Iaddend..Iadd.13. A device as set forth in claim 12, wherein the top of saidmember and the stop of the underlying portion thereof are integral andare bridged by a vertical plate adjacent to the external surfaces ofsaid channels at least on one of the sides thereof. .Iaddend. .Iadd.14.A device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the displacement of the stopfrom the hinge pin limits the pivotal movement of the lower channel toapproximately 15° from the horizontal. .Iaddend. .Iadd.15. A device asset forth in claim 9, wherein said latching device comprises a bailhaving one end thereof rotatably mounted on said lower channel at thefree end thereof remote from its pivotal connection to the upper channeland a manipulative finger-hold on the opposite end of said bail, stopmeans adjacent to the top of the free end of said upper channel, and acontinuous loop of wire having the opposite aligned free ends thereofpivotally mounted with eccentrically disposed aligned openings at anintermediate portion of said bail with the terminal portion of said endsbeing flattened to prevent the withdrawal of said ends from said alignedopenings, and the opposite closed end of said loop adapted for selectiveengagement with said stop means. .Iaddend. .Iadd.16. A device as setforth in claim 15, wherein at least one lateral wall of each channel isprovided with transverse slots adjacent to the opposite ends of thechannel and extending to the open edge thereof to facilitate thedistortion of said edge into tighter engagement with the strip ofresilient material embraced thereby. .Iaddend. .Iadd.17. A device as setforth in claim 16, including an indentation in a lateral wall of eachchannel for impaling said strip and reenforcing the retention of saidresilient material within the respective channel. .Iaddend.